The women's struggle in Burma

Green Left Weekly, 2 March 1997

Women played an active role in Burma's struggle for
independence - from British colonial rule and Japanese
occupation - and remained an organised force under the
post-independence government, 1948-58. Ne Win's seizure of
power in 1958 and his military dictatorship strangled the
women's and other social movements. But with the explosion
of people's movements in 1988, Burmese women rose again.

THET THET LWIN, an executive of the central strike committee
in Shan state during the 1988 uprising and - after a brief
period in jail - an executive of the All Burma Students'
Democratic Front (the post-1988 student army) until 1995,
spoke to Green Left Weekly's EVA CHENG about the women's
struggle in Burma. Lwin joined the Burmese Women's Union in
1995 and is now its foreign relations officer.

Question: What role did women play in the 1988 uprising?

In 1988, all the women were at the front of the
demonstration. When the men saw that women were walking at
the front, the question was why didn't they also join in.
Many young school girls and female university students
walked together with their male counterparts. We didn't form
any particular women's organisation, but the housewives did.

After the military took power at the end of '88, a women's
group was formed among intellectual women. They helped in
the campaign for the National League of Democracy (NLD)
during the [1990] election. They have tried to hold other
activities, but they can't operate very freely because of
the military government's restrictions.

Question: Tell us about the housewives' association.

That association was founded on the idea that housewives are
an important force to bring about change. They are really
active in staging protests, organising women to come
together and call for political changes.

The housewives' association is very much part of the
democracy movement. The association called for a
democratically elected government. But it doesn't exist any
more since the military took power.

Question: Can you describe the state of the women's movement
since 1988?

In NLD, you can see many active women playing a leadership
role. But inside Burma, they can't work very well: many are
put in prison. Because of the military, women in Burma
cannot promote the role of women.

But on the [Thai-Burma] border, we [the Burmese Women's
Union (BWU)] are trying to play that role. We are the first
women's union, and we try to work together with all
different ethnic groups.

Question: What are the BWU's objectives, and what sorts of
activities does it engage in?

A group of women students who escaped from Burma started the
union on the border. Later we extended membership to women
who migrated to the US, Europe and Thailand. The base camp
is still on the Thai-Burma border, with one other on the
China-Burma border and another on the India-Burma border.
Some members are inside Burma but for security reasons don't
reveal their identities.

In the border camps we concentrate on education and
development. For example, we recently gave training for
primary school teachers. We also did adult literacy training
- because there's a very high illiteracy rate - and skills
training in sewing and traditional weaving. We get an income
from selling our products.

The objectives are to promote the role of women in Burmese
politics, to give women a platform and to encourage women to
become a fundamental force in a new democratic government.

We try to prepare women with the knowledge and skills by
providing education and training.

Question: How big is the union?

At the moment we have 220 members, of which about 30 are
overseas. The overseas members mainly lobby the governments
of their respective countries. They also participate in
activities like the boycott against the [military
government's] Visit Myanmar campaign and against products
from businesses which are doing business with Burma.

Question: What is the union's understanding of the causes of
women's oppression?

Our message is different from others. Women suffer in our
country because we have a military dictatorship oppressing
both men and women. So we give out the message that women
have rights - human rights - which will only be realised
when we have a people's government.

Question: What is the union's relationship with the
democracy movement?

We and the NLD are separate organisations, but we support
each other directly and indirectly. We don't have open
contact with the NLD inside Burma, but on the border we
helped some of the NLD to escape after mass arrests. Some
continue organising there.

We can't work together openly, but we learn from and support
each other. For example, when Aung San Suu Kyi and her party
were calling for the boycott of foreign investment, we
lobbied the international community not to do business with
Burma.

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